- there are 70 faces to 
Post by alon on Nov 4, 2022 17:34:13 GMT -8
This Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Exodus 7:19–8:15
[In Hebrew texts 8:1-4 is numbered 7:26-29, and 8:5-32 is numbered 8:1-28]
Haftara- Joel 3:9–4.21
D’rash: We’ve started into the infamous ‘plagues’- the ‘Ten Plague's of Egypt.” These fall in three groups of three, with a final stand alone scourge:
1. all the plagues of the first group are brought on by something Aharon does
2. in the second group the first two are direct actions by God and the third is by Moshe
3. all the plagues of the third group are brought about by an action of Moshe
4. the tenth plague is clearly from YHVH-Nissi, God Our Victory (Ex 17:15)
The first nine plagues are from things which can happen naturally, however their severity and their rapid succession and the fact Moshe made them known with a chance to relent beforehand make them clearly of spiritual origin. Furthermore they each specifically target Egyptian deities. The tenth however is so devastating and so clearly of a superior God, Elohei HaElohim, God of Gods (Deu 10:17); it could not be misinterpreted, nor could a self-styled god (Pharaoh) ignore its foreboding nature; a harbinger of destruction for all Mitzrayim. As well, the last will target the household and rulership of Pharaoh himself:
1. Water turned to blood- Hapi, god of the Nile
2. Frogs coming from the Nile- Hekt, goddess of fertility, water, renewal
3. Lice from the dust of the earth- Geb, god of the Earth
4. Swarms of flies- Khepri, god of creation, movement of the sun, rebirth
5. Death of cattle/livestock- Hathor, goddess of love and protection
6. Ashes turned to boils and sores- Isis, goddess of medicine and peace
7. Hail rained down as fire- Nut, goddess of the sky
8. Locusts from the sky- Seth, god of storms and disorder
9. Three days complete darkness- Ra, The sun god
10. Death of the firstborn- Pharaoh, ruler and god of Egypt
The first plague, water turned to blood was announced last week. The source of water, renewal of fertile land, commerce, and really all that made Mitzrayin great was the deified Nile River. We saw the reason for this plague, as told to Pharaoh last week in Exodus 7:17a “Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord.” This reason of course carries through with all ten plagues.
Another reason not stated but clearly present is that the first nine plagues are against Egyptian gods of nature. The last is against the self-styled god, Pharaoh. God clearly says it is He, not Pharaoh who ultimately controls the people. Clearly the God of the Hebrews is a strictly supernatural God, and superior to all the gods of Mitzrayim combined. Men tend to worship things they can see. El Elohai Yisroel, Lord God of Israel (Gen 33:20, Ex 32:27) asks us to worship Himself alone; a being we cannot see, and to trust His promises: Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.
Exodus 7:19-25 (redacted) The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels [even on their idols] of wood and stone.”… Blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he … did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river. Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.
Obviously Aharon could not hold the staff over all the waters of Mitzrayim. This was not to be taken literally, however he could stretch the rod towards those waters. Apparently he missed some, because Pharaoh’s magicians found clear water to turn into blood. As Dennis Prager puts it, “the Egyptian magicians were so eager to outdo Moses and Aaron they intensified the plague on their own country: “Look, Pharaoh, we too can ruin our water supply!”” But it was enough; Pharaoh hardened his heart. “It is an awful moment when man sets his will against Gods’. Mans will must either bend or break.” FB Meyer. We also see here ha’satan opposing HaShem with magic, but he will not be able to sustain his attacks. He is a counterfeiter: 2 Timothy 3:8-9 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. Some miracles are lies of ha’satan:“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9. We should study to make sure we know the difference:“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1.
The number of days that passed between plagues here is also significant. Seven, the number of completion and its multiples appear so often in Torah (and in the entire Bible) and are so well placed as to suggest a single, supernatural source guiding the various authors.
Exodus 8:1-15 (redacted) Then the Lord said to Moses, “… If you refuse to let them (the Hebrew slaves) go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. The Nile will teem with frogs. … The frogs will come up on you and your people . …’” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.” “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. …” After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs … were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
The frog-headed goddess Hekt was, as noted a consort of the crocodile headed god Khnoum; also called “father of fathers.” He was thought to create human infants on a potters wheel, and Hekt assisted in childbirth. So the first two plagues, blood and the turning of the ‘midwife goddess’ point prophetically to the last- death of the firstborn. All can be seen as retribution for the killing of Hebrew infants. But these plagues are also a picture of God’s merciful nature. The Egyptian ruler was given multiple chances to repent and relent; to let God’s people go. Here Pharaoh acknowledges that these plagues are from the God of the Hebrews, also called Yotzreinu, Potter, Maker, Creator (Is 64:8), because he calls for Moshe and asks that the plague be lifted. He even cooperates and sets the day for it to happen. Yet still Pharaoh hardens his heart and reneges on his promise to let the Hebrews go.
Moshe is here very magnanimous. Most English translations yield vs. 5 as here, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you.” However the JPS translation says “You shall have this triumph over me:” and the Stones TNK renders it “Glorify yourself over me.” The verse from the OJB reads Shemot 8:9(8:5)a And Moshe said unto Pharaoh, Please thyself over me.” Whether this is because Pharaoh has acknowledged God or because he wants to remain somewhat in the good graces of the Egyptian ruler (or likely both) we do not know. However frogs are the least serious of all the plagues. The frogs are a nuisance to the people and an embarrassment to Pharaoh, but not overly destructive or hard to deal with. So God Himself is also being kind here. However the plague is exacerbated by the frogs being sacred and so it would be illegal to kill one. So kind, yes; but still a royal nuisance!
There is also a pattern with the plagues. With the plague of frogs we transition from water to land. With the seventh and eighth we’ll go from the land to the sky, and with the ninth to the heavenly realm. Then in the tenth we will get a plague from “The” Supreme Spiritual Being, El-Elyon, Most High God/Supreme Might (Gen 14:18); God alone.
These plagues are no less than a declaration of war by Elohim against the false elohim of Mitzrayim. God sets Himself apart from these nature gods, and so from nature itself. He controls the natural realm He created. He also sets man apart from nature; and by extension we who are created in His image (Gen 1). We can call on Him in our distress or as Moshe did to ask Him to work wonders. Done in faith/trust, agreement with God and for His purposes He will not fail us.
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; JPS Study TNK; Stones TNK: W Wiersby; FB Meyer; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Ex 8:16–9:35
Haftara- Is 34:11-35:4
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
Parashah- Exodus 7:19–8:15
[In Hebrew texts 8:1-4 is numbered 7:26-29, and 8:5-32 is numbered 8:1-28]
Haftara- Joel 3:9–4.21
D’rash: We’ve started into the infamous ‘plagues’- the ‘Ten Plague's of Egypt.” These fall in three groups of three, with a final stand alone scourge:
1. all the plagues of the first group are brought on by something Aharon does
2. in the second group the first two are direct actions by God and the third is by Moshe
3. all the plagues of the third group are brought about by an action of Moshe
4. the tenth plague is clearly from YHVH-Nissi, God Our Victory (Ex 17:15)
The first nine plagues are from things which can happen naturally, however their severity and their rapid succession and the fact Moshe made them known with a chance to relent beforehand make them clearly of spiritual origin. Furthermore they each specifically target Egyptian deities. The tenth however is so devastating and so clearly of a superior God, Elohei HaElohim, God of Gods (Deu 10:17); it could not be misinterpreted, nor could a self-styled god (Pharaoh) ignore its foreboding nature; a harbinger of destruction for all Mitzrayim. As well, the last will target the household and rulership of Pharaoh himself:
1. Water turned to blood- Hapi, god of the Nile
2. Frogs coming from the Nile- Hekt, goddess of fertility, water, renewal
3. Lice from the dust of the earth- Geb, god of the Earth
4. Swarms of flies- Khepri, god of creation, movement of the sun, rebirth
5. Death of cattle/livestock- Hathor, goddess of love and protection
6. Ashes turned to boils and sores- Isis, goddess of medicine and peace
7. Hail rained down as fire- Nut, goddess of the sky
8. Locusts from the sky- Seth, god of storms and disorder
9. Three days complete darkness- Ra, The sun god
10. Death of the firstborn- Pharaoh, ruler and god of Egypt
The first plague, water turned to blood was announced last week. The source of water, renewal of fertile land, commerce, and really all that made Mitzrayin great was the deified Nile River. We saw the reason for this plague, as told to Pharaoh last week in Exodus 7:17a “Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord.” This reason of course carries through with all ten plagues.
Another reason not stated but clearly present is that the first nine plagues are against Egyptian gods of nature. The last is against the self-styled god, Pharaoh. God clearly says it is He, not Pharaoh who ultimately controls the people. Clearly the God of the Hebrews is a strictly supernatural God, and superior to all the gods of Mitzrayim combined. Men tend to worship things they can see. El Elohai Yisroel, Lord God of Israel (Gen 33:20, Ex 32:27) asks us to worship Himself alone; a being we cannot see, and to trust His promises: Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.
Exodus 7:19-25 (redacted) The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels [even on their idols] of wood and stone.”… Blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he … did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river. Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile.
Obviously Aharon could not hold the staff over all the waters of Mitzrayim. This was not to be taken literally, however he could stretch the rod towards those waters. Apparently he missed some, because Pharaoh’s magicians found clear water to turn into blood. As Dennis Prager puts it, “the Egyptian magicians were so eager to outdo Moses and Aaron they intensified the plague on their own country: “Look, Pharaoh, we too can ruin our water supply!”” But it was enough; Pharaoh hardened his heart. “It is an awful moment when man sets his will against Gods’. Mans will must either bend or break.” FB Meyer. We also see here ha’satan opposing HaShem with magic, but he will not be able to sustain his attacks. He is a counterfeiter: 2 Timothy 3:8-9 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. Some miracles are lies of ha’satan:“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9. We should study to make sure we know the difference:“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1.
The number of days that passed between plagues here is also significant. Seven, the number of completion and its multiples appear so often in Torah (and in the entire Bible) and are so well placed as to suggest a single, supernatural source guiding the various authors.
Exodus 8:1-15 (redacted) Then the Lord said to Moses, “… If you refuse to let them (the Hebrew slaves) go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. The Nile will teem with frogs. … The frogs will come up on you and your people . …’” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’” So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.” “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. …” After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs … were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
The frog-headed goddess Hekt was, as noted a consort of the crocodile headed god Khnoum; also called “father of fathers.” He was thought to create human infants on a potters wheel, and Hekt assisted in childbirth. So the first two plagues, blood and the turning of the ‘midwife goddess’ point prophetically to the last- death of the firstborn. All can be seen as retribution for the killing of Hebrew infants. But these plagues are also a picture of God’s merciful nature. The Egyptian ruler was given multiple chances to repent and relent; to let God’s people go. Here Pharaoh acknowledges that these plagues are from the God of the Hebrews, also called Yotzreinu, Potter, Maker, Creator (Is 64:8), because he calls for Moshe and asks that the plague be lifted. He even cooperates and sets the day for it to happen. Yet still Pharaoh hardens his heart and reneges on his promise to let the Hebrews go.
Moshe is here very magnanimous. Most English translations yield vs. 5 as here, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you.” However the JPS translation says “You shall have this triumph over me:” and the Stones TNK renders it “Glorify yourself over me.” The verse from the OJB reads Shemot 8:9(8:5)a And Moshe said unto Pharaoh, Please thyself over me.” Whether this is because Pharaoh has acknowledged God or because he wants to remain somewhat in the good graces of the Egyptian ruler (or likely both) we do not know. However frogs are the least serious of all the plagues. The frogs are a nuisance to the people and an embarrassment to Pharaoh, but not overly destructive or hard to deal with. So God Himself is also being kind here. However the plague is exacerbated by the frogs being sacred and so it would be illegal to kill one. So kind, yes; but still a royal nuisance!
There is also a pattern with the plagues. With the plague of frogs we transition from water to land. With the seventh and eighth we’ll go from the land to the sky, and with the ninth to the heavenly realm. Then in the tenth we will get a plague from “The” Supreme Spiritual Being, El-Elyon, Most High God/Supreme Might (Gen 14:18); God alone.
These plagues are no less than a declaration of war by Elohim against the false elohim of Mitzrayim. God sets Himself apart from these nature gods, and so from nature itself. He controls the natural realm He created. He also sets man apart from nature; and by extension we who are created in His image (Gen 1). We can call on Him in our distress or as Moshe did to ask Him to work wonders. Done in faith/trust, agreement with God and for His purposes He will not fail us.
Mekorot: All scripture from the ESV unless otherwise specified; JPS Study TNK; Stones TNK: W Wiersby; FB Meyer; my father and others
Next Week’s Readings:
Parashah- Ex 8:16–9:35
Haftara- Is 34:11-35:4
* Apostolic references will be given in the darashot
